Gallagher making his congressional run official today

Kirsten Searer

Thursday, March 18, 2004 | 8:50 a.m.

Former gaming executive Tom Gallagher was to announce today that he will challenge Republican Rep. Jon Porter.

The Democrat, who is making his debut in Nevada politics, scheduled a news conference for this morning in front of Harriet Treem Elementary School in Henderson.

Gallagher campaign spokeswoman Roberta Lange said in a statement that Gallagher "is highly qualified to represent the residents of Congressional District 3."

"He has the experience and the know-how to represent the needs of this fast growing, dynamic district," she wrote.

Gallagher spent two years as the CEO of Park Place Entertainment. He also has experience as an attorney in both the private and public sectors, including a stint on Capitol Hill working with a senator from California.

Though he is a freshman in Congress, Porter already has made himself a formidable opponent by raising $1 million for his campaign, including $500,000 he has in the bank.

Mike Slanker, who is consulting for Porter, said he's not surprised by Gallagher's impending announcement. Gallagher made a speech to the Clark County Democratic Convention on Saturday that attacked Porter and indicated he planned to make a run.

Gallagher would face a competitor in the primary, Rick DeVoe, a construction worker who also is new to politics but has been campaigning hard.

"We're going to let them sort things out and we'll be prepared to take on whoever comes up in the primary," Slanker said.

Slanker criticized Gallagher for living outside of the district and said that Porter better understands his constituents.

"It's interesting that the Democrats couldn't find someone who actually lives in Congressional District 3 to run," Slanker said.

Lange said that Gallagher has lived in Southern Nevada for four years and now has a home that is "exactly across the street from the district."

She said he is purchasing a home in Henderson.

"The rules are you don't have to live in the district," she said. "But he believes it's important, which is why he's moving into the district."

The district is almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. As of Feb. 29, 124,945 Republicans were registered in the district compared with 123,048 Democrats.

Gallagher already has attacked Porter for following the Bush administration on most issues.

The party will continue to criticize Porter for voting with the Bush administration, state party spokesman Jon Summers said. He said Porter is "beatable."

However, the party will not officially endorse a candidate until after the primary, he said.

"We can't take an active role in primaries," Summers said. "But what I can tell you is that most of our elected officials support Gallagher and they hope that he is the one who will emerge and ultimately beat Jon Porter."